Research-Based Game Helps 10-Yr Old Girls Learn Java

Apr 10, 2013

FIRE IN THE HOLE:“On the Nature of Fires and How to Spark Them When You’re Not There” could be mistaken for the title of some colorful mountain man how-to guide. But the off-center title actually belongs to a paper authored by a group of computer scientists at the University of California, San Diego. The research literature details how 40 girls aged 10 to 12 learned fundamentals of the Java -- perhaps the most ubiquitous programming language on Earth. What's remarkable is that young ladies acquired their skills by playing an immersive video game. The concept isn't brand new -- don't forget Code Hero and it's quirky founder or more recently Kuato Studio's Hakitzu. But the guiding principles behind the game's design -- gathered from 30 successful computer programmers -- should provide a bit of validation to educational game and curriculum designers: